Rumours spark talk of Del Peiro's future at Sydney FC

jspasaro |
27th Dec 2012 8:00 AM

Josh Spasaro
Sports Journalist
I spent four years in country newspapers before taking on a dream role of covering national and international sports news across the entire APN network, in early 2012.
I learnt my trade in Kingaroy, Queanbeyan and Lismore doing it all – design, photography and headline writing.
I am now the envy of all my friends and family members, now that I have the privilege of covering Origin, Bledisloe Cups, footy grand finals and other top international sporting events.
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Alessandro Del Piero of Sydney in action during the round 12 A-League match between the Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC at Hunter Stadium on December 22, 2012 in Newcastle, Australia. Tony Feder / Getty Images

SPECULATION about the future of Alessandro Del Piero at Sydney FC continued yesterday, with the Italian superstar still not committing to next season.

Del Piero signed a one-year deal with a one-year option on a contract believed to be worth $2 million a season.

But the Sky Blues' poor results - the club is rooted to the bottom of the table with just three wins to its credit - have made negotiations difficult.

Del Piero is a natural-born winner but has been frustrated with his side's performances this season.

Poor crowd attendances have also affected the club's bottom line.

The Sky Blues face a crucial run of games against three of the A-League's top five in the next 10 days, starting with the first-placed Central Coast tonight at Allianz Stadium.

And the former Juventus main man knows his team needs to improve quickly.

"Two of them are away and that's a big problem. But if we are looking for a good position at the end of the season then we have to do a good job in these three matches," Del Piero said.

"It's not too late, but the time is rolling."

Del Piero, an immensely proud man who has won Serie A, Champions League and World Cup trophies, indicated he wanted to stay with his struggling club in 2013/14.

"I'm really happy to be here and we have time for discussions. But at the moment the best thing for me, for the club and for my teammates is concentrating on the games," he said.

In tonight's other two games, Perth will take on Western Sydney at Patersons Stadium, and Wellington will host the Melbourne Heart at Westpac Stadium.

The Wanderers have won their past three games, and Glory coach Ian Ferguson said he had been impressed with the form surge which culminated in Friday night's stunning 6-1 win over the second-placed Adelaide United.

"I thought it was only a matter of time before the goals started flowing for them because they've got good players in (Shinji) Ono, (Youssouf) Hersi and (Dino) Kresinger," he said.

But the Glory's defence in last Friday night's 1-0 win over Brisbane was outstanding.

"That's the best I've seen from a Perth Glory side in defending for at least 20 or 25 minutes in the second-half," Ferguson said.

The only change Phoenix coach Ricki Herbert will make is who will take the set pieces, following last Saturday's 1-1 draw against the Mariners.